Bollywood actress Nora Fatehi has filed a defamation case against another Bollywood actress Jaqueline Fernandez in a Delhi court, claiming she made statements “to destroy her career”.
Previously, Nora Fatehi and Jacqueline Fernandez had both been questioned in a money laundering case filed against alleged conman Sukesh Chandrashekhar. According to Nora’s plea, Fernandez “made defamatory imputations” due to “malicious reasons” with an intent to “destroy her career to further her own interests”.
If you are wondering what exactly did Fernandez say about Fatehi? And why have the two actors been questioned in the money laundering case? Then you are at the right place.
Nora Fatehi claims in her Plea
Fatehi’s plea stated that Jacqueline had made a written statement to the appellate tribunal, PMLA that she was
“Falsely implicated by the ED while celebs such as Nora Fatehi who had received gifts from Conman Sukesh Chandrashekar had been made witnesses”.
This, Fatehi claimed, was an attempt to defame her and destroy her career.
“Jacqueline Fernandes sought to criminally defame the complainant to destroy her career to further her own interests, since they are both working in the same industry and have similar backgrounds, amongst other reasons,”
her plea read.
It stated that Fernandez’s statements were made to malign her image when Fatehi has nothing to do with the matter.
“It is pertinent to mention herein that both the complainant (Nora Fatehi) and the accused (Jacqueline Fernandes) are actresses of foreign origin, and both have had their share of struggles in rising to fame in the Indian film industry, hence, it is evident that the act of the accused in dragging the name of the complainant wherein she has no business mentioning the complainant is mala fide in nature,”
the plea stated further.
Nora Fatehi is of Canadian Moroccan origin, and Jacqueline Fernandez is from Sri Lanka. Fatehi’s plea has also sought to make a few media houses respondents in this case, claiming they criminally sought to reproduce the defamatory statements made by Fernandez.
Involvement in the Sukesh case
Reportedly, Sukesh has been accused of allegedly extorting Rs 200 crore from the wife of former Fortis Healthcare promoter Shivinder Singh.
In its supplementary charge sheet filed in the case on August 17, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) claimed that Fernandez had received gifts worth Rs 5.71 crore from Chandrashekhar, which were from the proceeds of crime, but is
“Trying to justify herself that she was, in fact, the victim of manipulative actions by Sukesh against her”.
Two months ago, the ED opposed Fernandez’s bail plea, claiming that the actress made an abortive bid to flee the country. Moreover, it also alleged that Fernandez never cooperated with investigations and made disclosures only when confronted with evidence.
The agency also said Fernandez had deleted evidence and also asked the others involved in the case to do so.
However, in November, the Delhi court granted bail to Fernandez. The court said while she was accused of receiving gifts from Sukesh out of the proceeds of the crime, it would be decided during the trial
“whether there was any knowledge, intention, or connection of the accused in taking those gifts and of proceeds of crime in this case”.
Nora Fatehi, who also received gifts from Sukesh, has been called for interrogation numerous times but has not been made an accused. Her statement has been included in the prosecution complaint.